Twin Peaks saw a triumphant, challenging return in 2017. Here are the 15 scariest moments from The Return

One of the most exciting television events of 2017 was the triumphant, unexpected return of David Lynch’s seminal series, Twin Peaks. Sometimes it still feels like a crazy dream that this 18-hour dive into madness even happened. It’s safe to say that Lynch’s revival of his classic ‘90s series defied expectations and confounded viewers, just like it did 25 years ago. There are a lot of things to love about Twin Peaks: The Return, but this is Bloody Disgusting; we’re all about that horror! Accordingly, here are the most terrifying moments from the return of Twin Peaks and the biggest opportunities where David Lynch gets to prove of just how much of a madman he is!

15. Mr. C’s Arm Wrestling

Something as mundane and silly as arm wrestling usually doesn’t result in anything too memorable. This is, of course, Twin Peaks’ twisted take on arm wrestling though, so of course it’s appropriately bonkers and off-kilter. Granted, Mr. C’s arm wrestling domination of a biker gang isn’t exactly scary per se (although it is deeply awesome), but that’s what it’s at the bottom of the list. Even if the sequence doesn’t shift into genuine fear, there’s still an uncomfortable energy that fuels it. It’s never clear exactly where things are about to go and it does feel like at any moment the arm wrestling might end and everyone erupts in something more dangerous. This happens in Twin Peaks’ penultimate episode. It’s a set piece that shouldn’t work—and it wouldn’t in anything else—but Lynch’s unusual sensibilities give this sequence bite.

14. “You Were Manufactured…” – Gold Sphere and Black Smoke

Perhaps the most iconic new visuals from Twin Peaks: The Return were the gold balls and the effects that were used when the Black Lodge needs to suck souls or disassemble bodies. The unusual style and quality of these effects is what gives them so much charm and why they so strongly stand out. It feels like Lynch employs retro sensibilities to bring these unusual occurrences to life. They are truly visuals that you can only see in Twin Peaks though, so naturally they need to be a little sinister.

13. Ike the Spike Tries to Assassinate Dougie

The fear in this scene comes from the fact that a seasoned assassination is after Dougie, who up until this point illustrates that he has a very tenuous comprehension of the world around him. It seems implausible that Dougie will be able to protect himself here. That anxiety beautifully mixes with the danger that Ike the Spike brings and it’s an explosive moment. Furthermore, some helpful Lodge entities stop by to assist Dougie, which add a healthy what the fuck factor to all of this as well.

12. 25 Years Later, Laura Gets Ripped Away

This is a rather minor moment that gets lost in all of the other chaos that “Parts 1 and 2” of The Return bring to the table. In a delicious serving of fan service, Lynch decides to re-create and extend Cooper’s famous scene in the Black Lodge, with Laura. The beats from the scene are the same as they were from 25 years ago, only this time it ends in an alarming fashion. Laura appears to painfully get ripped away into the sky and disappears. It’s one of the first visuals that gets Cooper on his mission in The Return as well as an early indicator for how this will be a darker juxtaposition of its former self.

11. Bill Hastings’ Death

Bill Hastings is certainly one of the more tragic new figures to show up in The Return. The show really puts him through the wringer, which sadly ends with his messy demise. All that Hastings wants is love in his life, but the fact that he discovers the existence of other realities ultimately puts him in jeopardy. Hastings isn’t a villain, he just gets caught up in something that’s much bigger than him. He doesn’t even know what’s going on, which makes all of his pain even more devastating. If Bill’s death doesn’t freak you out, then that Woodsman with the float-away head in his jail cell definitely will!

10. The Final Glimpse of Audrey Horne

Audrey’s role in Twin Peaks: The Return is still one of the most controversial topics between fans. Sherilyn Fenn’s Audrey was one of the most beloved characters from the original series and her inclusion in The Return is not only minimal, but also confusing and belittling to the character. While there are many theories in response to what exactly is going on with Audrey and whether she’s still in a coma, trapped in the Black Lodge, or something else, it seems that most agree that something about her world is off. The final scene that the series provides of Audrey is a trippy dive into the character’s mind that ends on a note that only raises more questions. It doesn’t seem like Audrey has a happy ending though and that in itself is deeply tragic and frightening.

9. Charlene Yi Screams at the Roadhouse

This is yet another moment that doesn’t serve a larger significance, but it just works so well tonally. The Return has a lot of fun with how it uses the Roadhouse as a venue for moody music and performances, but it also takes on this weird nightmare quality. There’s one scene where Charlene Yi—whose character doesn’t even get a name—just crawls around, freaks out, and screams while at the bar. It might not make a whole lot of sense, but it sends an overwhelming message to the viewer and is the perfect way to show that something is wrong in Twin Peaks. Don’t try to decipher this, just let it take you over.

8. Bobby Briggs and Zombie Vomit

Twin Peaks can be frightening for a number of reasons, but sometimes certain sequences connect because they just make the audience feel uncomfortable. This scene in particular isn’t important to the larger story and doesn’t get called back to either. It’s just an upsetting, weird moment from a busy night in the life of Bobby Briggs. It’s purpose is not to make sense, but rather to make the audience feel overwhelmed. It certainly succeeds and is all sorts of gross, too.

7. “Mother is Coming” and the Plight of Naido

During Dale Cooper’s bizarre odyssey from the Black Lodge back to the real world, he makes some unusual detours in “holding centers,” so to speak. One of these visits takes Cooper to the Mauve Zone, which isn’t unlike an isolated prison. While in this place, a frantic woman with no eyes named Naido tries to get Cooper’s help and constantly spreads the message that “Mother is coming.” It’s a strong, disorienting sequence where Cooper is made to feel even more useless and insignificant. Naido comes back to the show in a big way, but until she gets demystified she’s such an off-putting, alarming creation.

6. “What Year Is It?”

The original ending to Twin Peaks was something that fueled decades of conversation and debate and it looks like the conclusion of The Return won’t be very different. Lynch embraces many of the themes and ideas that have guided his filmography, such as fugue states, waking dreams, and doubles. This leads The Return to a Moebius strip of an ending where reality is played with and put in a blender. Both the characters and the audience get the feeling that something is off, but just can’t put their fingers on what. Then “Cooper” asks “What year is it?”, “Laura” screams, and everything goes to hell. How’s that for an ending?

5. The Woodsman’s Rampage

The brilliance of The Return’s “Part 8” is almost too much to take in. It’s an hour of television that truly deserves to be in a museum. While this installment is full of plenty of high art, there’s also some genuinely terrifying sequences, too. A lot of this episode’s fear comes from the “Woodsman.” He’s a Black Lodge entity that puts a lot of chaos into motion and takes a lot of lives in the process. What’s even worse is that his brain crunch murder style also appears to be a mind meld of sorts where he’s maybe also absorbing information from his victims? Either way, it’s painful. Never before have the words “Gotta light?” been so loaded.

4. Richard’s Hit and Run

Some of the most powerful moments from out of Twin Peaks are when the series bombards the viewer with emotions. It’s one thing to frighten the audience, but to simultaneously make them sad or elated leads to an even more satisfying payoff. Richard Horne is a trainwreck that causes many disasters throughout The Return, but the worst of his offenses is when he carelessly runs over a young boy. Everything about this scene connects, whether it’s Richard’s reaction, the mother of the boy’s reaction, or Carl Rodd’s reaction, who witnesses the boy soul go off to another realm. It’s an assault and a lot to take in, but boy does it resonate.

3. Sarah Palmer “Defends Herself”

Sarah Palmer is one of the bigger question marks of Twin Peaks: The Return, but moments like this certainly seem to imply that some Black Lodge spirit has escaped and is using her body as its new home. One disturbing scene sees a local aggressively come onto Sarah while she drinks at a bar. Sarah proceeds to take her face off and reveal the demon underneath while she goads on, “Do you really want to fuck with this?” Then she kills the guy. It’s a surprising, brutal moment and what makes it even more effective is that Sarah seems to plead for the guy to leave her alone because she knows what his fate is going to otherwise be.

2. “Mother’s” Attack

The premiere of Twin Peaks: The Return was met with such anticipation and no one really knew what to expect. The first two episodes would be what help set the tone for this return and audiences soon learned that this was a darker and different Twin Peaks. One of the most memorable moments from the premiere involves two spectators who are watching an empty box. A mysterious millionaire has decked the place out with surveillance to make sure that if something shows up in the box that it definitely won’t be missed. When these two voyeurs begin to have sex, not only does something appear in that box, it proceeds to violently murderize these individuals. Twin Peaks holds its tongue for a long time on what exactly goes down here with “Mother,” which almost makes this violent entity all the more frightening in the end.

1. “Open Wide”

The eighth installment of Twin Peaks: The Return is one of the best things that David Lynch has ever made. It’s a slow, uneasy, experimental look at the “birth” of evil. It attempts to shine a light on the larger, primordial forces that hide in the shadows of Twin Peaks and the finished product is kind of staggering. “Part 8” presents a lot of unforgettable images, but the final moments are some of the most memorable—and disturbing—of the entire series. An innocent girl (who may or may not be Sarah Palmer) sleeps with her mouth open and a terrifying frog-like insect progressively crawls into her mouth, down her throat, and makes this girl its new host. It’s pure nightmare fuel and it speaks to that deep-seated fear of not knowing what goes on when you’re asleep. The girl doesn’t realize that she’s now playing host to this monster. Maybe this very thing has happened to you…

Twin Peaks is such a rich universe that experiences no shortage of terrifying moments. These are the bits that freaked us out, but what are the scenes that made you say, “Wow, Bob, Wow!” Sound off in the comments below.

Before Ridley Scott stormed back into the room to reclaim the Alien throne, filmmaker Neill Blomkamp had been developing his own Alien sequel that would have branched off from the ending of James Cameron’s Aliens (1986). The plan was to bring back both Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn), as well as Newt, and ignore all sequels following Cameron’s masterpiece. Fox took the bait and a screenplay was completed, but this was before Disney’s revitalized Star Wars blasted into theaters and inspired Scott to do the same with his Alien. Scott then cockblocked Blomkamp, deciding to turn his Prometheus sequel into Alien: Covenant, while simultaneously announcing plans for several sequels that would eventually bridge directly into his seminal 1979 Alien. There’s a bit of irony in what happened next… most of us mocked Blomkamp’s planned sequel as “fan service”, while Scott’s Covenant not only failed to please the majority of critics, but it also flopped at the box office. Now, not only is Disney in possession of Twentieth Century Fox, but reports came in just yesterday that the studio may have shut down pre-production on Scott’s planned Alien: Awakening.

While John Squires and I are fans of what Scott’s been doing, we’d be hardpressed to say we wouldn’t love to see a fun, Ripley-themed sequel on the horizon. Who knows, it worked the first time Blomkamp shared some art, maybe history repeats itself?

Our annual Christmas episode is here! And what did Santa bring all you good girls and naughty boys? … A review of, Christmas Evil (1980), and A Cadaver Christmas (2011)!!! Just what you always wanted, a sleigh van full of psycho Santas and the FM3 riding shotgun. Scary Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Godzilla is certainly the “King of All Monsters” when it comes to size, and this was before his rebirth in the Japanese Shin Godzilla. The title itself was meant to be an expression of resurrecting the true Godzilla as this incarnation was meant to put the fearful “God” rightly in its name. While Godzilla was massive in Shin Godzilla, just wait until you see how big he was is in the animated Monster Planet. Godzilla is enormous… six times as large as the 1954 Gojira, in fact!

Noger Chen created this new infographic that gives scale to 60+ years of Godzilla. Tha latest, from Godzilla: Monster Planet, is a towering 300 meters (1,000 feet) in height, dwarfing all other Godzillas. He’s quite literally ridiculous in comparison. I feel like they exaggerated him to a point where no other filmmaker could ever consider trying to top it. I think it’s safe to say we’ve hit peak Godzilla…

One of the most iconic props in the history of horror cinema is the NecronomiconEx Mortis (aka The Book of the Dead) from the Evil Dead franchise, based on a fictional book that appeared in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Hardcore fans likely already own their own screen accurate replica, but we guarantee you don’t have a Necronomicon wallet!

The folks over on Middle of Beyond are offering this bad boy up here in the tail end of 2017, officially licensed and Evil Dead 2 branded. This bi-fold wallet is 4.5″ x 3.7″ closed, made of high quality full grain leather and with a debossed front and back.

As 2017 begins to wrap up, we take a look at the very best foreign horror films that the year has had to offer!

2017 was a phenomenal year of horror, but it’s sometimes hard to stay on top of all the new releases and “mandatory” classics. If you’re a fan of horror then you no doubt made a point of seeing the heavy-hitters from this year like Get Out and IT, but what about the smaller films? What about the films that had limited releases or really have to be hunted for to watch? It’s very easy to have a blind spot towards foreign horror and while this is by no means the definitive list, here’s a good start to some picks from 2017 that are absolutely worth your time.

Housewife Directed by Can Evrenol; Turkey

Evrenol’s Housewife is an absurd fever dream of a film that simultaneously demands and refuses to be deciphered. The film touches on a number of topics like childhood abuse and repressed trauma, but its real focus is on the elevation of Holly into this deity-like figure of a cult. Evrenol’s lucid horror film embraces dream logic and nonlinear storytelling and anchors it all on Clémentine Poidatz’ alarmingly strong performance. Then on top of all of that Evrenol throws some good old-fashioned Lovecraft mythos in for good measure, too. Housewife is a fearless film for a number of reasons and even if it’s something that you don’t understand, you absolutely deserve to let its bonkers face-wearing images assault you.

I’m a sucker for boiled down, single location narratives, horror or otherwise, and Veronica is a strong example of that sort of story. I’m also a huge fan of cat and mouse psychological thrillers and this film plays into those impulses in such a delicious way. If you’re a fan of Roman Polanski’s Repulsion (and honestly, you should be), then you’ll dig the hell out of Veronica. The film tells the story of a psychologist who comes out of retirement to study a special case, Veronica. As the two live together, the sense of who is in control is constantly in flux. It’s fascinating to see how these two people lose track of who they are in each other. Veronica is full of surprises and nothing can be taken for face value here. It’s a suspenseful treat that contains powerful performances and some striking black-and-white cinematography to boot.

The Forest of Lost Souls Directed by José Pedro Lopes; Portugal

The Forest of Lost Souls feels like a team-up between Fellini and Tarantino and that alone should be enough to get you on board with this film. The film presents a wildly original depiction of the afterlife while two lost souls, a young girl and an elderly man, wax on about the nature of life (and death) and what all of this is about. The film explores some creative ideas like how the afterlife is split up into different sections for people who die in different ways (such as suicide). The whole thing is also punctuated with incredible black-and-white photography, which really helps the film’s surreal visuals pop.

What’s particularly effective about The Forest of Lost Souls is that its first half is a thoughtful, methodical take on what it means to be alive, while the second half morphs into an angry revenge tale that doesn’t hold back. Both of these ideas hit their mark and culminate into something that’s truly special.

The Lure Directed by Agnieszka Smoczyńska; Poland

This is a horror musical about murderous mermaids, so just stop reading this right now and immediately see this movie, okay? This article will still be here when you get back.

Absolute insanity, right? Productions like The Lure that tow genres are the biggest sorts of disasters when they don’t work. However, when these kind of experiments do succeed, they usually turn into cult classics that will always be a part of the horror pantheon. The Lure tells the complex story of mermaids who seek acceptance while also full of dreams and aspirations of musical stardom. If you didn’t realize how well mermaids and metal music go together, The Lure will make sure you understand this fundamental combination by the end of the film. On top of all of that, the film also doubles as a bizarre adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid. The fact that Disney’s Ariel and The Lure’s Golden are based on the same character is sheer madness.

The Lure is like a haunted fairy tale that has a rawness to it that only increases its charm. It’s one of the craziest horror films of 2017, but also one of the most beautiful.

Even the worst anthology horror efforts still manage to give me some degree of joy. I dig the style a ton and it often leads to some truly remarkable short films when in the right context. Mexico Barbaro II is essentially the Mexican equivalent of Creepshow. It’s a film that unabashedly celebrates Mexican horror directors and the country’s country and there’s something very appealing about that. The film boasts eight short films, none of which are misfires, but what’s so cool here is that most of these films touch on Mexican history and points of culture in a very, Paris Je T’aime sort of way. You could call this Mexico, I Want To Kill You and it wouldn’t be off base.

There’s a lot on display in this film, but the “Vitriol” segment tells a stunning story about vanity, numbness, being disgusted with who you are, even if it seems like you’re beautiful to everyone else. Beauty can sometimes be a terrible curse or scar, too. As strong as it is, “Potzonalli” directed by Fernando Urdapilleta is one of the most memorable shorts I’ve seen in a long time and is reason alone to check out this anthology. Due to the high success rate here, the wide subject matter, and the creativity on display by new filmmakers, this is one of the more satisfying anthology segments that you’ll come across, especially if you go in with an open mind and humble expectations.

Cold Hell Directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky; Germany

If Veronica is an ode to Repulsion and Polanski, then German horror film Cold Hell certainly feels like a love letter to Brian De Palma. Cold Hell is a stunning example of a brutal girl-power revenge story, but it impressively pairs this together with a disturbing serial killer narrative. The film’s protagonist, Ozge, is simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnesses something that she shouldn’t have, but she spends the rest of the film running for her life. Ozge is a glorious badass of cinema who does such violent, brutal things, but you’re cheering her on so hard in spite of it all. Picture the kitchen fight in Kill Bill between the Bride and Vernita Green, but even more intense.

There’s a very De Palma vibe present right from the film’s voyeuristic, brutal opening, to the claustrophobic chase that’s set on the subway, to the film’s unreal ending. The film’s lead gets set on fire and she still keeps kicking ass and doesn’t give up. There are all sorts of moments in Cold Hell that even give Atomic Blonde a run for its money. There are plenty of impressive action set pieces in Cold Hell (including one of the best car crashes/chases I’ve ever seen), but the film also gets a lot of mileage from its creepy serial killer material, which feels like something from out of a Fincher film or episode of Hannibal mixed with the best of Giallo. Whether Cold Hell’s mystery grabs you or its protagonist wins you over, there’s no denying that this film will still manage to surprise you in some way. This is a horror film that attempts to do a lot, but it does it all well.

Salvation Directed by Denise Castro; Spain

The vampire genre has been done to death as much as the zombie genre has, but even still, on rare occasions people somehow find original ways to explore these classic areas. Salvation surely owes a lot in tone to Let The Right One In, but it does enough differently that it never feels outright derivative. The film deals with a young girl, Cris, who lives a bleak life that’s spent mostly in a hospital while she awaits a dire heart transplant. During her stay in the hospital, she encounters Victor, who tells Cris that he’s a vampire.

As this honest depiction of falling in love and learning to enjoy life is explored, Cris must make the difficult decision of turning to immortality with Cris or showing courage towards life and facing her operation head-on. Salvation is interested in how people will fight to survive in different ways and it taps into something delicate, beautiful, and terrifying all at the same time.

Danur: I Can See Ghosts Directed by Awi Suryadi; Indonesia

Danur’s story is remarkably simple, but it’s also why this film is so effective. Danur looks at a little girl, Risa, who has busy parents and spends more time than she should by herself. Risa is lonely and on her eighth birthday, she makes a wish for a friend. Risa gets her wish in the form of a ghost. Risa gets closer and closer to her new ghost friends and it begins to form a rift between her and her mother, who becomes increasingly concerned. Danur does a lot with a little and banks on a relatable story that features a macabre, bittersweet twist.

Badoet Directed by Awi Suryadi; Indonesia

Another entry from Indonesia’s Awi Suryadi, but not without good reason. Additionally, Danur and Badoet couldn’t be more different of horror films and while Suryadi’s voice is distinguishable in both movies, they have very different styles. Danur is a thoughtful story about ghosts and loneliness while Badoet is an intensely creepy story about missing children and an evil clown. Creepy clowns are nothing new at this point and this year also saw Pennywise the Dancing Clown scaring the living hell out of everyone. Believe me when I say that Indonesia knows how to do scary clowns. They should officially be given control of the sub-genre because they just run with the disturbing nature and aren’t afraid to get dark. Badoet is so messed up that it feels like even John Wayne Gacy would get scared from this film.

Indonesia might not have that many horror directors, but Suryadi’s precision proves that he’s at least a voice to keep on your radar.

We Are The Flesh Directed by Emiliano Rocha Minter; Mexico, France

Full disclosure, I can’t tell if I’m a fan of We Are The Flesh or if I absolutely despise. It’s a film that tries incredibly hard to feel edgy and extreme and while it technically succeeds, the end result is such an aggressive product that it’s hard to tell if it’s worth it. Think a Mexican/French version of A Serbian Film and you’ll begin to get the idea of what’s going on in this film. The horror film tells a very small-scale story, but manages to have it revolve around the apocalypse and some rather large ideas. There’s a heavy emphasis on incest and some deeply graphic visuals that may simply be too much for some. Nevertheless, it attempts to say something about the end of times and destiny.

We Are The Flesh is a disturbing, reluctant experiment, but one that I still think is worth seeing. Even if you do hate this endeavor, Minter’s style is curious and inventive and it makes for an interesting study.

These are the picks that we came up with, but what did you think of this year’s foreign selection? Are there any glaring omissions here? Sound off in the comments below!

A few minutes of Making of/B-Roll footage from Insidious: The Last Key just hit the net, ahead of next weekend’s release. It features director Adam Robitel and stars Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell, Josh Stewart and Kirk Acevedo, along with creature icon Javier Botet!

“In the supernatural thriller, which welcomes back franchise standout Lin Shaye as Dr. Elise Rainier, the brilliant parapsychologist faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet: in her own family home.”

The film is written by co-creator Leigh Whannell (Saw), who wrote the trilogy and directed Chapter 3. Insidious regulars Jason Blum (The Purge series, Get Out), Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity) and co-creator James Wan (The Conjuring, Furious 7) produced.

[talking into tape recorder] Nobody… nobody trusts anybody now, and we’re all very tired… there’s nothing more I can do, just wait… R. J. MacReady, helicopter pilot, US outpost #31.

It seems like the whole world went a little crazy in 2017 and most people can’t wait for it to end. For horror fans though, we had a year filled with record-breaking blockbusters and critically acclaimed films. As the year comes to a close I always think it’s fun to take a look back at the most popular stories on Bloody Disgusting. So, here’s a look back at the most viewed stories from 2017!

Of all the big horror franchises, Texas Chainsaw Massacre‘s continuity is unquestionably the wackiest. After four films, the original was remade in 2003, which was then given a prequel three years later. After that, we got a sequel to the original movie with Texas Chainsaw 3D, which then got its own prequel with this year’s Leatherface.

So what’s next for the big guy with the chainsaw? Will we be seeing another film in the timeline that thus far includes The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Texas Chainsaw 3D and Leatherface? That suddenly seems unlikely, as Campbell Grobman Films/Millennium Films – the companies responsible for resurrecting Leatherface for the latter two films – have lost the rights.

Christa Campbell was just asked by a fan if we’d be seeing a sequel to this year’s film…

“I loved this film and I’m very proud,” Campbell tweeted. “Unfortunately because of the time it took to release it we lost the rights sadly… so no .. not from us at least.”

Previously, we had learned that Campbell Grobman had the rights to make FIVE Chainsaw films, but it sounds like things have changed in that department. We can only assume that the franchise, when it’s ready to come back, won’t be continuing the story of Leatherface that Campbell Grobman/Millennium have been telling in recent years.

Maybe not the worst thing, as most fans haven’t been digging the direction.

Campbell Grobman Films produced both Texas Chainsaw 3D and Leatherface alongside Millennium Films. The two were released by Lionsgate.

Sad news during the holiday season this year, as we’ve learned that actress Heather Menzies-Urich passed away on Christmas Eve at 68, succumbing to brain cancer.

Born December 3, 1949 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Heather Menzies-Urich got her start in Hollywood as Louisa in 1965’s The Sound of Music, subsequently becoming a star in the world of horror with both Sssssss and Joe Dante’s Piranha in the ’70s.

Dante remembered Menzies in a touching tribute on Twitter.

“A lovely person who was immensely helpful and supportive as the star of PIRANHA, my first solo directing job,” Dante tweeted. “She and Brad Dillman made an amusing mismatched couple and carried the John Sayles script to a level of success that surprised even me.”

Menzies, who married Robert Urich in 1975, also starred in “The Farmer’s Daughter,” “Logan’s Run,” and “The Love Boat.” She played Dr. Wendy Day in 1979’s Captain America.

One fan who has been doing a kickass job keeping the spirit of VHS alive is Josh Schafer, the man behind Lunchmeat Magazine. In his never-ending quest to make sure those video shops of our youth never truly go away, Schafer created the “Home Video Horrors” calendar last year, a year-long tribute to the VHS box covers we’re all so nostalgic for.

Featuring the phenomenal photography of visual artist Jacky Lawrence, each month vibrantly celebrates a different VHS video cover, thoughtfully set in a scene reflective of the film’s content!

The date grid for each month is also pumped up with a bunch of too groovy celebration indications for an array of special days ranging from National VCR Day to Tortilla Chip Day to Elvira’s Birthday! What’s more, there’s a sweet chunk of home video and horror-driven trivia attached to each month! DIG ON IT!

Contrary to what Scott’s claiming, HumanMedia, a member of the Blu-Ray.com forums who claims to have worked on Alien: Covenant, the sequel was originally scheduled to begin pre-production in September 2017, but was shelved after the tepid box office response to Alien: Covenant. (Thanks to AvP Galaxy for the tip.)

“The sequel to Covenant was originally due to start preproduction this month in Sydney,” the tipster explained. “After the box office results filming was cancelled, and a warehouse storage unit full of stuff was auctioned off a few months ago. So the original plan of pumping out another quickly has definitely changed with no immediate plans for anything.”

This is a terribly bad sign if true, and is only exasperated by the recent Disney purchase of Fox that would put the Alien franchise in new hands. However, there is some hope being that Scott still envisions big things for the franchise and knows how to make a movie on a budget. I’ve talked about this in the past, but Scott is the master at tightening the screws on his films and bringing them in on budget (or less). If Fox were to request an even tighter budget on the Covenant followup, Scott is the one director who could pull it off. I’ve suggested in past articles that Scott may need to go back to the drawing board and the film being shut down could signal just that. It’s not necessarily the death of Alien, but the future doesn’t look as certain as it did the day before Covenant‘s release.

If you’ve played through the recently added “Virtual Cabin 2.0” in Friday the 13th: The Game, you probably came across young Jason Voorhees, as the iconic slasher killer appeared in the very first Friday the 13th movie. Kid Jason, played by Ari Lehman in the film, appears in a cut-scene that recreates the jump scare finale of the 1980 classic.

But does this mean Kid Jason will eventually be playable in the game? Not exactly.

It’s been rumored since day one that Riz Ahmed could be playing Cletus Kasady in the forthcoming Venom, the first of many dark Spider-Man spinoff films. It would have been a major role being that Kasady becomes Carnage, the supervillain who becomes the arch nemesis of both Peter Parker and Eddie Brock/Venom.

Well, Atlanta Filming shared a photo from the set that shows Ahmed as Dr. Carlton Drake, a Life Foundation employee who was able to surmise that the Venom symbiote contained five more “seeds” (Agony, Lasher, Riot, Phage, and Scream), and subsequently extracts them.

While Drake (to my knowledge) doesn’t become a symbiote, it’s still quite possible that Ruben Fleischer‘s film adaptation turns him into Carnage anyway. This is Venom‘s biggest mystery as filming has been underway for over a month now. Who is Carnage?!

So, you’ve got tons of cash for Christmas, but you don’t know what to do with it? Kotobukiya has solved your problem with two new statues based on Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy from their appearances in the CG-animated film, Resident Evil: Vendetta.

Both statues are set for a July 2018 release, and are in the 1/6 scale range with each standing 12″ tall, and come with a unique included base.

Right now, pre-orders are only being accepted for Chris Redfield ($169.99 USD), so keep an eye out for Leon on Kotobukiya’s official site.

Recently, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige noted that “it would be fun to do something with [Blade] one day,” which was just enough of a tease to spark all kinds of fan casting. Thus far, names like Anthony Mackie and Jamie Foxx have come up in those conversations, as has perhaps the best choice of all: Idris Elba.

The Dark Tower‘s Idris Elba hinted at potentially taking up Snipes’ mantle back in 2010, telling Total Film, “I have a picture deal with [Marvel]. I can’t tell you much about that, but I can tell you I’ll be back. I wouldn’t mind having a crack at bringing Blade back, personally.”

But that was several years ago. What does Elba have to say about potentially playing Blade these days? He was asked that very question in a chat with Screen Rant this week.

“Blade…. Wesley [Snipes] killed that,” Elba said, when the interviewer pitched him on being the new Blade. “No one can do Blade better than Wesley.”

Wesley Snipes, who played the day walker in three films, took notice and tweeted out this gem:

Two short animated New Mutants teasers show Blu Hunt as Danielle Moonstar, the Native American telepath also known as “Mirage”, as well as Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin, also known as Magik, who uses teleportation, trapped in an asylum with no cure.

The cast also includes Henry Zaga as Roberto da Costa a.k.a Sunspot, a mutant with the ability to absorb and channel solar power; Alice Braga as Dr. Cecilia Reyes, a medical doctor who has the ability to generate a protective bio-field around herself but also has more going on than she lets on; Charlie Heaton as Sam Guthrie, a.k.a. Cannonball; and Maisie Williams as Rahne Sinclair, a.k.a. Wolfsbane, who can turn into a wolf.

Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) directs the horror adaptation of the popular Marvel comic series.

Boone directed from a script he co-wrote with Knate Lee about teenage superheroes-mutants being held against their will.

Madmind Studios promised us a reveal of the Red Goddess on Christmas Eve, and they didn’t disappoint with a new trailer for Agony!

With that March release date creeping closer, it was about time we got an updated trailer. This slick little number does indeed show off the Red Goddess, along with the denizens of Hell flocking towards her. With the camera pulling back and all of that slo-mo, it’s a pretty damn cool trailer. Agony is set for release March 30th for PC, XBox One and PlayStation 4.

Looking for holiday recipes I stumbled across Binging with Babbage, Andrew Rea’s recipe site that take fictional foods in entertainment and makes them a reality. Touching everything from the Big Kahuna Burger in Pulp Fiction to the Breakfast Dessert Pasta from Elf (so. much. sugar.), there were a pair of genre-themed recipes hiding within the batch.

“The history of eating one’s fellow man is rich with culinary tradition and innovation, carried on in no small part by Dr. Hannibal Lecter,” explains Rea. “In this pivotal scene, he gives a fellow killer a taste of his own medicine, so to speak – if, at the time, he had medicine in his bloodstream, because he’s eating his own leg. So to speak.” The site carries both instructions and full list ingredients.

“Looking at his work, it would appear as though David Lynch loves a few themes: surrealism. Dream sequences. Machinery. And apparently, coffee. Learn how to make the fluffiest of pancakes and the coffeeist of coffees with the help of Nick Fisher from Cocktail Chemistry as we welcome back Twin Peaks this weekend.”

With the New York Toy Fair just a little over a month away, NECA teased their Pennywise action figure based on the character created by Stephen King. Bill Skarsgård played the character in the record-breaking adaptation of IT, which is just about to cross $700M worldwide. The below photo shows the backside of the evil clown to go along with a red balloon taunting his appearance in action figure form.

But that’s not all as NECA shared a sneak at their Aliens Series 13 Kenner-styled Scorpion Alien, and their Friday the 13th Part 2Ultimate Jason Voorhees!